As the bearded man opened the door, a foul odor rushed out towards Luo Fei. This certainly wasn't the smell of a typical animal carcass. With the smell so intense, coupled with the wary movements of the bearded man, Luo Fei was sure something was up.
Luo Fei steadied himself despite the hostile demeanor of the other person, and spoke, "Sorry to bother you; the cat belonging to Ms. Zhang next door is missing. I want to ask you a few questions. Did you see a black-and-white cat from 11 a.m. yesterday to today?"
"No," the bearded man shook his head impatiently.
"Alright, if you see it, please call us," Luo Fei said, turning to leave.
Luo Fei originally intended to enter the house to investigate the source of the foul odor. But upon seeing the man's robust physique and fierce appearance, and considering his own slight frame, he felt some fear and quickly changed his mind.
Given his own build, if he did find something inside, he could be slaughtered like a chicken on the spot. He didn't want to end up like those hapless cops in his novels who stupidly get killed by the murderer. Although the chances of this happening in real life were slim, it's always better to be cautious. Luo Fei planned to call Zhang Haiyang to check the house with him for safety.
At this moment, Luo Fei wished for greater strength. A person's confidence comes from their capabilities; if he had the strength, he wouldn't have felt intimidated just now and would have dared to enter the house.
"It's said that ants can lift objects 400 times their weight, while humans can lift at most six times their weight. If I could merge with the ant's strength genes, I wonder how much strength I could gain," Luo Fei pondered silently.
Luo Fei was about to go back to call Zhang Haiyang when he saw Zhang Haiyang already walking toward him down the corridor.
"How's it going? Did you find anything?" Zhang Haiyang casually asked when he saw Luo Fei.
Luo Fei replied, "The window of Zhang Lan's bathroom is quite close to the balcony of the 828 apartment, so I just asked the resident there. He said he hadn't seen the cat. But as I was leaving, I thought I heard a cat's meow, and there was a foul odor at the doorstep, like the smell of a dead animal." To coax Zhang Haiyang into checking the odor, Luo Fei made up a lie.
"Let's go."
Upon hearing that a cat's sound was heard, Zhang Haiyang didn't hesitate and led Luo Fei to the 828 apartment.
"Knock knock knock," Luo Fei knocked on the door again.
After a while, the bearded man opened the door, again only a crack, showing his bearded face. From his expression, it was obvious he was extremely annoyed, his tone also very aggressive.
"Do you still have something?"
Having been a police officer for over twenty years, Zhang Haiyang had encountered all kinds of people. This was minor. Zhang Haiyang calmly said, "The cat of Ms. Zhang next door is missing. My colleague mentioned he seemed to hear a cat in your house, so we'd like to come in and take a look."
Upon hearing this, the bearded man glared at Luo Fei and roared, "I've said it; I haven't seen any cat nor heard any cat noises. Stop bothering me."
He then tried to close the door, but Zhang Haiyang held it open with one hand.
Just when the bearded man opened the door, Zhang Haiyang also smelled the awful stench. He was sure it was the smell of a rotting corpse. Coupled with the bearded man's abnormal behavior, with his twenty years of experience, Zhang Haiyang was also sure something was wrong.
"Sir, please cooperate with our investigation," Zhang Haiyang demanded, his expression immediately turning stern.
Taking advantage of the bearded man's confusion, Luo Fei stepped forward, forcefully pushed the door open, and entered the apartment.
The stench inside the room was even stronger. Luo Fei glanced around.
The small living room was filled with empty wine bottles and cigarette butts, the central coffee table littered with scattered peanuts and melon seeds. The TV was playing Legal Report.
The scene felt very familiar to Luo Fei, and then it hit him - wasn't this the kind of crime scene he wrote about in his novels?
After Luo Fei pushed open the door, Zhang Haiyang followed him into the room.
"You! Go sit on the sofa over there." Zhang Haiyang abruptly pointed at the bearded man, his demeanor exceptionally serious.
The smell of the corpse, the messy living room, and the bearded man's behavior triggered an experienced sense of danger in Zhang Haiyang, who's been on the force for twenty years.
Luo Fei also kept a tense gaze on the bearded man in case he tried anything dangerous. In this situation, it was impossible not to suspect the bearded man.
"Luo Fei, go find out where this stench is coming from and what it is," said Zhang Haiyang, directing Luo Fei. Given the circumstances, he didn't dare let an intern like Luo Fei watch over the bearded man. If the bearded man were truly dangerous, he might lash out like a cornered beast, and Zhang Haiyang couldn't trust the task to Luo Fei.
Upon hearing that, Luo Fei headed straight for the kitchen.
When he first entered, he sensed that most of the room's foul odor drifted over from the bathroom area.
"Ugh... ugh..."
The moment Luo Fei stepped into the bathroom, he almost retched.
In the bathtub lay a female corpse, wearing only underwear, soaked in a pool of blood, the body pale, bloated, and emanating a revolting stench. Her neck, arms, and waist were covered with grotesque, decaying, and nauseating wounds.
This horrific scene, described countless times in his novels, was now before him for real up close and personal.
"Luo Fei, what's going on?" Zhang Haiyang's anxious voice came from the living room.
Pale-faced, Luo Fei backed out of the bathroom and hurried back to the living room.
As he approached Zhang Haiyang, Luo Fei nervously glanced at the bearded man sitting quietly on the sofa before speaking, "There's a female corpse in the bathtub in the bathroom." As he spoke, his voice trembled slightly. This was the first time in either of his two lives that Luo Fei had witnessed a corpse so closely, especially in such a bloody and chilling scene with a live murderer right next to him.
Hearing this, Zhang Haiyang's expression changed. Although he suspected it, saying there was a corpse in the room was still a shock to hear.
The next second
"Stay seated; we suspect you of murder. You're under arrest now." While speaking, Zhang Haiyang swiftly pulled out the handcuffs from his waist and promptly cuffed one of the bearded man's hands, attaching the other end to the coffee table. It was evident that Zhang Haiyang was equally tense, given they were dealing with a murderer who might erupt at any moment. It was impossible not to be nervous.
While Zhang Haiyang handcuffed the bearded man, Luo Fei stood closely, tensely watching the bearded man, prepared at any moment to subdue him.
Unfortunately, as an intern, Luo Fei couldn't carry anything. If only he had a taser, he wouldn't be as nervous.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly. The bearded man didn't resist and allowed Zhang Haiyang to cuff him to the coffee table.
Once handcuffed, both Zhang Haiyang and Luo Fei breathed a sigh of relief. With cuffs on, the bearded man's threat level significantly diminished.